Gerald Clayton
SFJAZZ Center
201 Franklin St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Apr 16, 2022
7:30 PM PDT
I Was There
Leave a Review
About this concert
66 when he formed this multi-generational band and led its 2018 self-titled Verve album, John Scofield is reaching the age when many of his contemporaries start thinking about retirement. Such an idea is the furthest thing from Scofield’s mind. The guitarist is following in the footsteps of Jack DeJohnette, his bandmate in the all-star quartet Hudson, who continues to blaze new musical trails with musicians half his age. Rather than slowing down, Scofield goes from strength to strength, winning consecutive Best Jazz Album GRAMMY Awards for 2015’s Past Present and 2016’s Country For Old Men (both on Impulse!). One of the post-fusion era’s definitive guitarists, Scofield went from recording with jazz giants such as Miles, Mingus and Chet Baker to joining the pantheon himself. Consisting of a team of established bandleaders whose ages span four decades, Combo 66 once again relies on Bill Stewart, a brilliant, melodically inventive drummer whose relationship with Scofield spans his influential early ‘90s Blue Note albums through his two recent GRAMMY winners. Vicente Archer, one of New York’s busiest bassists, is best known for anchoring the acclaimed trios of Robert Glasper and Nicholas Payton (a group that also features Stewart). And 34-year-old pianist Gerald Clayton is simply a monster, possessing virtuosic technique, a gorgeous touch, and boundless imagination.
Show More
Find a place to stay
Gerald Clayton merch
What fans are saying
Easily follow your favorite artists by syncing your music
Sync Music
Share Event
Gerald Clayton Biography
Gerald Clayton searches for honest expression in every note. The six-time GRAMMY nominated pianist-composer and recent Blue Note Artist began formal studies at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music under the instruction of Billy Childs, following a year of intensive study with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron at The Manhattan School of Music. In 2006, Clayton won second place in the Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition.
Inclusive sensibilities have allowed Clayton to collaborate with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington, Peter Bernstein, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Ben Wendel, the Clayton Brothers Quintet and legendary band leader Charles Lloyd. He currently serves as Director of Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and has served as Musical Director for Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour.
Over the years, Clayton’s playing and original works have received GRAMMY recognition for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Composition and Best Jazz Instrumental Album — a nomination he earned most recently for his debut release on Blue Note Records Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard.
Clayton honors the legacy of his father, bassist-composer John Clayton, and all his musical ancestors through a commitment to exploration and honesty. In 2016, he attempted to render the Piedmont Blues experience and expression in early 20th Century Durham. A Duke University commission, Clayton’s evening-length
composition Piedmont Blues features a mixed media performance of critical acclaim. In 2019, he received a commission from Los Angeles Country Museum of Art to compose a musical pendant for artist Charles White’s “5 Great American Negroes” mural. Seeking to spotlight race and racial tensions, Clayton titled the project White Cities: A Musical Tribute to Charles White. In January 2020, he began work on the critically-acclaimed score for Sam Pollard’s award-winning documentary MLK/FBI. The emotional resonance of Clayton’s score imbues the film with subtle, lingering moments of struggle and humanity, and helps capture a complex arc of an enduring subject.
Read MoreInclusive sensibilities have allowed Clayton to collaborate with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington, Peter Bernstein, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Ben Wendel, the Clayton Brothers Quintet and legendary band leader Charles Lloyd. He currently serves as Director of Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and has served as Musical Director for Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour.
Over the years, Clayton’s playing and original works have received GRAMMY recognition for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Composition and Best Jazz Instrumental Album — a nomination he earned most recently for his debut release on Blue Note Records Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard.
Clayton honors the legacy of his father, bassist-composer John Clayton, and all his musical ancestors through a commitment to exploration and honesty. In 2016, he attempted to render the Piedmont Blues experience and expression in early 20th Century Durham. A Duke University commission, Clayton’s evening-length
composition Piedmont Blues features a mixed media performance of critical acclaim. In 2019, he received a commission from Los Angeles Country Museum of Art to compose a musical pendant for artist Charles White’s “5 Great American Negroes” mural. Seeking to spotlight race and racial tensions, Clayton titled the project White Cities: A Musical Tribute to Charles White. In January 2020, he began work on the critically-acclaimed score for Sam Pollard’s award-winning documentary MLK/FBI. The emotional resonance of Clayton’s score imbues the film with subtle, lingering moments of struggle and humanity, and helps capture a complex arc of an enduring subject.
Jazz
Music
Follow artist